


Rule of law

by Bluespirit



Category: Stargate Atlantis
Genre: Drama, Established Relationship, Hurt/Comfort, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-08-25
Updated: 2010-08-25
Packaged: 2017-10-12 08:21:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,573
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/122866
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bluespirit/pseuds/Bluespirit
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Rodney has to save John - no matter what it takes.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Rule of law

**Author's Note:**

> 1\. This was written for the 'Doctors Without Borders-David Hewlett Birthday Auction'. The prompt asked for a McKay centric fic that has _'Rodney go all out for his John_ '.  
> 2\. The alien McGuffin is gratefully 'borrowed' from an early episode of Voyager ( _'Ex Post Facto_ '.) *g*  
> 3\. Thank you to the wonderful Lantean Drift, Madison and Xanthe for their support & beta skills.  
> 4\. Spoilers: set post season 5 with minor references to 'Doppelganger' and 'The Shrine'

Atlantis had been back in Pegasus a few months when they first met the Onari.

Onara was a small planet on the outer reaches of the galaxy and, after initial contact went well, SGA-1 had returned for a second visit. It was supposed to be a cakewalk; the Onari were a technologically advanced and seemingly peaceful people - which made the Vice-Chancellor's announcement all the more incomprehensible.

"He's what?" Rodney gaped.

"Colonel Sheppard has been found guilty of murder," Vice-Chancellor Vertan repeated. "I am sorry, Doctor, but the punishment is death."

Rodney saw Ronon reach for his blaster, but Teyla stopped him with a sharp shake of her head.

"Teyla?" Rodney felt like his head was spinning. What the hell was going on here? He and Ronon had only been gone for a few hours, for God's sake.

"I am uncertain of the exact events," Teyla said calmly, but her mouth was set in a hard line, and she was obviously choosing her words carefully. "Whilst you were viewing the power generation plant, the Chancellor escorted the Colonel and myself on a tour of the city. He then invited us to share the noon meal at his home as his wife was eager to renew our acquaintance."

Vertan stepped forward. "And then Colonel Sheppard killed Chancellor Gralen – his wife was a witness to the act."

"But that's insane!" It didn't make any sense. There was no way that John would do something like that. Rodney turned to Teyla again. "What happened?"

Teyla frowned. "Unfortunately, I was not present at the time of the actual 'incident'. I was walking in the garden when I heard the Chancellor's wife, Mayla, scream. I hurried inside and found both the Colonel and Chancellor Gralen lying on the floor. The Colonel was unconscious, but the Chancellor was dead. He had been stabbed."

"By Colonel Sheppard," Vertan said. "Mayla said that the two men had fought and that the Colonel had taken a knife from the table and stabbed her husband in the chest. He died virtually instantly. Mayla then defended herself and knocked the Colonel out with a heavy vase."

"I don't believe it – she's obviously lying," Rodney snapped. For one thing, John wouldn't get into an argument and just kill someone like that, and secondly, he could hardly believe John would let himself get taken down by a vase-wielding housewife.

"I can understand your shock, Doctor," Vertan said gravely. "We are a non-violent people and unused to this kind of behaviour. However, there was another witness to the events; one whose evidence is incontrovertible."

"Who?"

"My good and noble friend." Vertan smiled sadly. "Gralen himself."

"Thought you said he was dead," Ronon growled.

"Indeed he is, and he will be greatly mourned."

"Then how can he be a witness?" Rodney rolled his eyes. "Via ouija board?" This whole thing was making less and less sense – and where was John? Teyla had said that she'd found him unconscious. He needed to see him.

"Rodney," Teyla said quietly, but he could hear the familiar 'please do not inflame the situation further' in her voice. This wasn't like upsetting a bunch of medieval peasants over some crappy, old shrine though; this was about John being accused of murder. He'd be damned if he was going to let some psychic, voice-beyond-the-grave, mumbo-jumbo be used to try and convict John of something he knew he hadn't done.

"Our doctors and scientists have spent many years studying the workings of the mind," Vertan said, "and we have developed technology that is able to capture the memory of the last few moments of an individual's life. This can then be viewed, in a case such as this, during the judicial process."

"Then I want to see it. There's clearly been a mistake."

"I am sorry, Doctor, but there has been no mistake. I myself was present when the Chamber of Justices watched the final moments of Gralen's life and saw Colonel Sheppard wield the death blow. Sentence has already been passed."

"What? It's been less than a day!"

"It is the way of our society. The Colonel has been found guilty and, per our custom, the sentence has already been delivered and carried out."

Rodney went cold. It felt as if the ground was slipping from under him, and he put out a hand to steady himself. The sentence had already been carried out? But Vertan had said that the punishment was death… "John's dead? You've… killed him?" He could hardly force the words past his lips.

Ronon sprang forward with his blaster raised, and Vertan shrank away as his guards rushed over with their weapons drawn.

Teyla moved to stand in front of Ronon. "No, Ronon. Please do not make this any worse."

Any worse? Rodney wanted to laugh – or scream. John was dead; how the hell could things get any worse? There was no worse – John was gone, and Rodney couldn't see anything beyond that. Christ, all those years wasted and now when they'd finally gotten together…

"Rodney, it is alright." Teyla was talking to him, her voice soothing. "The Colonel is safe." She squeezed his arm. "John is alive."

Oh, sweet Jesus… Rodney felt the steel band compressing his chest loosen slightly, and he dragged in a sharp breath. "But he said…"

Ronon grunted and slowly holstered his blaster, but he left his hand resting on the hilt.

Vertan nodded quickly and motioned for the guards to lower their weapons; they looked like ceremonial lances – not much of a defence against Ronon's gun, anyway. "The sentence has been carried out, but it is not as you think. Our society abhors violence. Whilst the punishment for taking another's life is indeed death, it is in a metaphorical sense only."

"What do you mean?" Rodney asked, relief making his voice a little faint. John was alive, and Rodney was determined to keep him that way; metaphors be damned.

"As I said, we have developed technology that can recover the engrams – memories - from the final moments of life. Once sentence has been passed, those engrams are then implanted into the cortex of the perpetrator -"

"You've cut open his brain?" Rodney shouted. Christ! There was no telling what damage they'd done to John's mind; to the essence of who he was. A visceral memory flared through him, and he rubbed his forehead irritably. The scar had long since faded but sometimes it felt like it was still there.

"Nothing so crude, Doctor. It is a sophisticated procedure, but one our neural specialists are perfectly adept at performing. Colonel Sheppard was not physically harmed – that is, in fact, the point."

"Not physically harmed?" Rodney didn't like where this was heading. They were messing with John's brain, for God's sake.

"Colonel Sheppard has been sentenced to death – not his own but that of his victim. He will now experience the final moments of Gralen's life over and over again for the rest of his own."

Rodney felt his breath catch. Christ, but that was barbaric. "Where is he? I demand to see him!" This was all some horrible mistake, and he was going to fix it – no matter what it took.

~

They were escorted from the Vice-Chancellor's office and along a curving corridor with large windows that overlooked the main square of the city. The Onari lived underground in a series of huge, interconnecting caverns that shielded them from the Wraith, and luminescent crystals in the natural bedrock formed an artificial light that was eerily like daylight.

"I am sorry, Rodney," Teyla spoke quietly. "I tried to radio you as soon as I found John unconscious."

"It's the shielding." Rodney waved absently at the cavern roof out of sight above their heads. "It's particularly dense at the power plant – to avoid Wraith sensors – and it affects the radios."

They entered a room with a guard at the door. It looked like some kind of medical area with plain white walls and various monitors and other pieces of equipment. There was a screened off section at the far end, and Rodney rushed forward when he saw John lying there on a narrow bed.

"John! Are you okay?"

John was dressed in a pair of drab green scrubs, and the colour accentuated his unhealthy pallor, his normal tan faded and pale. Rodney touched John's hand where it lay across his chest and blew out a breath when he felt warm, living skin. He slipped his fingers to the pulse point just to make sure; John's heart rate was fast, but it was there and that was what mattered.

"Rod-ney?" John opened his eyes slowly. He looked a little feverish, and his voice was scratchy and rough.

"How are you feeling? You look like shit," Rodney snapped, relieved and angry and scared all at the same time. "I really can't leave you alone for a minute, can I?" he added softly and held onto John's hand.

"Gee, thanks," John said. "Good to know you care." He gave Rodney's hand a quick squeeze, and it looked like he was trying for a smirk but it fell short.

Rodney squeezed back. "I'm going to get you out of this. Don't worry."

"Your turn, huh?"

"Exactly." Rodney nodded. He wanted to wrap his arms around John and hold him, but he couldn't – not with a room of people just beyond the screen. He tried to grin instead. "Though, I think I'm pulling ahead in the 'saving your life' stakes."

"Sorry – must be slacking," John sighed, but his gaze was warm, and it helped thaw the dread clutching at Rodney's chest.

"So what happened?"

"'m not sure." John shook his head and then moaned. "Shit! That hurts." He lifted his hand and rubbed the back of his head. "Feels like I got clobbered by a baseball bat."

"A vase, apparently," Rodney sniffed.

"Huh?" John screwed his face up and usually Rodney would have mocked him – that or bitten his tongue to stop the word adorable from slipping out – but then John grabbed at his head in pain.

"What's the matter? Is it where you got hit?"

"Shit! No. It feels like someone's shooting a Taser inside my brain."

Rodney pushed the screen back and pointed at Vertan. "I thought you said the pain was metaphorical? Is he supposed to be like this?"

Vertan hurried over and spread his hands in front of him. "There should be no physical manifestation of pain - merely the sensations of the implanted memory itself." He looked uncomfortable. "However, the procedure is only carried out very rarely and never on an off-worlder before…"

"Oh, great! So, you've been poking around inside his brain and you don't even know if it's safe?"

"Our primary neuroscientist was certain that the technology would not cause any harm."

"Yeah, well, you'll excuse me if the word of your chief bone rattler doesn't exactly fill me with confidence -"

"Rodney!"

John's shout was low but filled with pain, and Rodney swung back around. "John? What's the matter?"

"Oh, shit – not again…" John groaned, and he began to convulse, his eyes rolling back in his head.

Rodney tried to hold onto John's shoulders, grateful for Ronon and Teyla's help as they hurried over. John's body shook, wracked by seizures, and then he suddenly went still. It was only the sound of his breath rasping in his lungs that stopped Rodney from losing it right there. Jesus Christ! What had they done to him?

"You call this harmless?" he shouted at Vertan. "Where's the neurologist? You have to make this stop - remove the engrams."

Vertan nodded at an aide and motioned towards the door. "I am sending for Drabart – our primary neuroscientist – to see what may be done, but the procedure must not be reversed. This is the punishment handed down by the Chamber of Justices, and I cannot overrule them."

"Even if it kills him?"

"I am sure this is merely a temporary side-effect…"

"A side-effect? I'm sorry, but I don't exactly share your optimism. I want to take the Colonel back to Atlantis so that our own doctors can look at him."

"That is out of the question, I'm afraid. Colonel Sheppard must remain on Onara."

Rodney took a deep breath ready to tell Vertan to go fuck himself and that they'd take John out of here by force if necessary.

"Then perhaps you would allow our medical staff to come here to work with your own doctors?" Teyla interjected smoothly.

Vertan paused and then nodded. "I can see no reason why not – though no attempt must be made to remove the source of Colonel Sheppard's punishment. The engram implant must remain in place."

Teyla inclined her head briefly. She turned to Rodney and touched his hand. "I will go to the gate and apprise Mr Woolsey of the situation and request Doctor Beckett's presence."

Rodney nodded. He didn't know exactly what Teyla saw in his face, but she smiled gently and drew their foreheads together. "I will return shortly. I am certain that everything will be alright. Be strong, Rodney."

~

Vice-Chancellor Vertan indicated for the guards to withdraw and escorted Teyla from the room.

Ronon clapped Rodney on the shoulder and nodded towards the door. "I'll be outside. Let me know if you need anything."

Rodney turned to find John opening his eyes again.

"Ow," John moaned and rolled over onto his side, his limbs heavy and uncoordinated.

"Should you be moving like that? What about if you do more damage or…"

"You know, I thought having an intersect in my head would be way cooler than this. Where's all the kick-ass spy stuff?" John grinned, but it was shaky and faint.

"Like living in another galaxy isn't excitement enough?" Trust John to make a joke when he had something in his head that was quite possibly going to kill him. Rodney took a quick breath. No – no way was that happening; John was not going to die.

"Relax, Rodney. I'll be fine in a minute. Help me up, will you?"

Rodney took John's hand and wrapped his other arm carefully around his shoulders to help him sit up. "What happened?"

John scrubbed a hand wearily across his eyes; they looked sore and bloodshot. "It was the, I don't know, the memory - the flashback thing. The 'punishment'."

"What's it like?"

"Like getting stabbed in the chest," John snorted. "I can feel the knife going in and then the pain... and I'm struggling to breathe. I'm looking down at my chest and there's this fancy handled knife sticking out of my rib cage, and there's blood everywhere. Then I'm collapsing and… I die."

"Jesus," Rodney whispered.

"But the worst part -"

"There's a worse part?"

John managed a tight grin, but he looked terrible – washed out and weak - and something inside of Rodney clenched hard.

"It's me – I'm the one stabbing me, and I'm watching as I die… smiling the whole time. It's like back when that crystal entity was in my head - only about a hundred times worse." John blew out a breath. "What the hell's happening, Rodney?"

"You don't remember?"

"The last thing I remember is having lunch with Gralen and his wife." John's head dropped forward a little, and he rubbed at his brow. "I think that Mayla suggested that Teyla should see the gardens or something, and I was talking to Gralen in the house. Mayla poured me a drink – some kind of tea they like here – and that's it. The next thing I know, I'm in a court room or something like it, barely conscious and strapped to a gurney, and they're telling me I killed someone. Then they attach some gizmo to my temples and these images start in my head, but they're not just like pictures. It's like I'm there, and I'm watching myself being stabbed. When I look though, I'm the one doing it. I'm staring down right into my own face… It doesn't make any sense. What the hell's going on, Rodney? I didn't do it. You know that."

"Of course you didn't do it," Rodney huffed and then added more softly, "I know you didn't do it, John. We'll sort this out. Don't worry."

John smiled and pulled on Rodney's hand until they were sitting side by side on the bed. "I'm not. I know you're going to figure it out, McKay. Genius, remember?"

Rodney grinned, despite himself. "Nice of you to notice."

"I always notice when it comes to you." John tried to waggle his eyebrows, but there were tight lines of pain around his eyes.

Rodney snorted, but he pushed in closer, soaking up John's warmth from shoulder to hip. "You are such an idiot."

"Your idiot," John said softly and leaned into Rodney a little more.

"No one else would have you." Which was a lie - Rodney knew exactly how lucky he was to have John in his life. He'd spent years wanting what he thought he could never have – trying, and failing, to be happy with other people – but, in the end, it had always been John. Sometimes, he still had to take a second to breathe and remember that this was all finally real. It had taken them a long time, and there'd been plenty of obstacles – admittedly mainly of their own making – but they were finally together. And Rodney was going to make damn sure that they stayed that way.

"Lucky for me you're such a charitable soul." John grinned, though it was a little strained.

"That's me." Rodney played along. "I'm well known for my philanthropy."

John gave a worn-out sounding chuckle. "Never knew you were interested in stamps…"

Rodney laughed and then felt his smile fade as John started to tremble and shake.

"Damn, I think they're getting closer together," John grunted. He wrapped his arms around his body and hunched forward, but it didn't seem to help and the tremors got more intense. Rodney could see the beads of sweat breaking out on his forehead.

He jumped off the bed and grabbed onto John's shoulders, trying to slide him back down so that he wouldn't fall. "John! John?"

John groaned, his body convulsing more violently, and he passed out. Rodney held onto him tightly and shouted towards the door. "Ronon! I need some help here!"

~

Teyla must have run to the gate because John hadn't regained consciousness long when she arrived back with Beckett in tow.

Thank God Beckett had agreed to come back as CMO when Jennifer had stayed on Earth. Despite all of his muttering about voodoo and the inexactness of medicine as a science, there was no one that Rodney would rather trust with John's life in a situation like this. Well, except himself, of course.

Beckett bustled over, competent and calm in his own mother-hennish way. "Right, Colonel. Let's have a wee look at you then, shall we?" He took out a mobile medical scanner and started to check John over.

"They've put something in his brain, Carson!" Rodney spat. "It's supposed to be harmless, but it looks like it's killing him, and I think it's getting worse."

"Nice bedside manner you got there, Rodney." John smirked, but he looked exhausted and strung out with pain. "He's right though, Doc – I think that it maybe is getting a little worse."

Rodney shot him a worried look; for John to admit that then it must really be bad.

Beckett checked the scanner. "How many times have you experienced the events?" he asked, drawing a vial of blood from John's arm.

"Three times now. Once in the court room place and twice since."

"Did you lose consciousness each time?"

"Nah, just the last two."

"He was out for longer the last time," Rodney added.

There was a knock at the door, and Vertan entered with another man. "Doctor McKay, Colonel Sheppard – this is Drabart. He is our foremost neuroscientist and the one who implanted the engrams in the Colonel."

"Doctor Beckett." Rodney motioned to Beckett. "Chief Medical Officer of our expedition and our foremost physician." He glared at Drabart. "So this is your handiwork?"

"Vice-Chancellor Vertan has explained the situation to me," Drabart said. He shook his head. "I cannot understand why the murderer is reacting in such a way."

The murderer. Ronon was leaning against the far wall, and Rodney saw his hand drop to the blaster on his thigh. Right then he would have happily let him hold Drabart at gunpoint until he agreed to remove the thing that was doing this to John. "Colonel Sheppard is no murderer," he said, just managing to hold his temper. He turned to Vertan. "If it can be proved that Colonel Sheppard is innocent, then I assume that you have the capability to remove the engram implant?"

Vertan nodded. "There is a removal process, but I am quite certain that the verdict of the Chamber was correct. They all watched the engram encoding and saw Colonel Sheppard attack and kill Gralen."

"I want to see the recording."

"I am afraid that is impossible." Vertan looked genuinely upset by the situation. "Our laws state that there must only be one copy and, once the Chamber has sat, that copy is used in the network that is implanted into the guilty party."

Rodney stared at him. "So, the only evidence is effectively destroyed? That's convenient," he snorted. "And now only Sheppard can see it?"

"I can give you a pretty good play by play if you like – I'm getting to know it kinda well by now," John called from over on the bed. He sounded like he was trying to laugh, but it was more of pain-wracked wheeze.

"Just take it easy, John," Beckett said gently. He looked at Rodney. "Can I have a word in private?"

Rodney gave Vertan a hard stare and then headed over to Beckett and pulled the screen across behind him. He knew he could trust Teyla to keep an eye on things – and to stop Ronon from doing anything rash. Though, he wasn't going to rule that out if they couldn't get the Onari to see sense.

Beckett dropped a hand to John's shoulder. "I've checked the wee bump that Teyla told me about, and there's no fracture or concussion. In fact, I'd be surprised if that was what knocked you out – it's more superficial than anything."

"So, what are you thinking? Someone drugged me?" John asked, giving the bump on his head a cautious poke. "We were given 'ceremonial tea' at a couple of places on the tour and then we had lunch at Gralen's. I suppose someone could've slipped me a mickey."

"It's a distinct possibility." Beckett nodded.

"You should run a tox screen," Rodney interjected.

John raised an eyebrow and smirked. "See? I knew you weren't really reading that physics journal when I put on those old episodes of CSI."

"I'll check for any trace of sedatives or anything else untoward," Beckett said firmly, ignoring their interplay as he usually did. "But, at the moment, I'm more concerned with the results of the scans. Colonel, I'm detecting some possible instability in some of your neural pathways. I think it's reversible at this point, but there's no way of knowing how much more of this kind of damage your cortex can withstand."

Rodney bit back a curse and pulled back the screen. Vertan and Drabart were standing with Teyla and Ronon; they weren't looking especially comfortable.

"We have to take the Colonel back to Atlantis."

Vertan looked embarrassed. "I am sorry, Doctor McKay, but the Chamber will not allow it."

"Vice-Chancellor," Beckett said. "Despite a common human ancestry, Colonel Sheppard's physiology is obviously significantly different to that of the Onari. The neural implant is causing real physical damage which I know is not its original purpose. I really would like to take him back to Atlantis – he needs a full diagnostic and treatment that I just cannot give him here."

"That is impossible," Vertan said again. "I am truly sorry, but our laws state that the Colonel must remain here."

"Okay, look." Rodney cut in. They didn't have time for this. John wasn't looking so good, and if the implant played true to form it wouldn't be long before the next attack started and even more damage was done. "So, what you're saying is that the only way you and your Chamber will agree to remove this thing from Sheppard's brain is if he's proven innocent?"

"Well, yes," Vertan said slowly.

Right – then that was exactly what he was going to do. "Okay. Then I'm going to need to speak to…" He clicked his fingers. "The widow… what's her name?"

"Mayla," Teyla said smoothly.

"Mayla," Rodney repeated. "I need to hear her version of what happened."

"I will ask Mayla - though she is, of course, deeply upset by the events of the day."

"Perhaps I may be of help, Chancellor," Teyla suggested. "Mayla and I have spoken a little during our visits."

Rodney nodded. That was probably a smart idea – he wasn't exactly good with handling people, and right now his patience was definitely in short supply. "Good, that's good – and I'm going to need to watch Gralen's last moments."

"As the Vice-Chancellor has already explained," Drabart said irritably, "it is impossible to view the engram once it has been integrated into the murderer's-" Ronon made a low, rumbling sound in the back of his throat, and Drabart stuttered, "I - I meant to say that it is impossible to view the engram once it has been integrated into… the recipient's cortex. The only way that another party might view it were if they were able to enter the person's mind, and, despite our advances in neuro-technology, that is impossible."

Of course it was – they could fuck with someone's brain as a punishment but couldn't access it to help prove their innocence. A sudden thought struck him, and Rodney gave Drabart a hard smile. "Well, fortunately we do have the ability to do just that. I'm going to join with the Colonel's mind and take look at this so-called evidence for myself and prove what a pack of lies this whole thing is."

The Vice-Chancellor looked confused, and Drabart shifted uneasily.

"Rodney, what are you talking about?" John asked slowly.

"You said it yourself – it was like that time with the crystal entity from M3X-387 that invaded our dreams -"

"Rodney, are you saying what I think you're saying? You want to use the VR tech that SG1 found? That lets people into each other's subconscious?"

Rodney grinned at John and snapped his fingers. "Precisely!"

"No!" John's face was lined with pain, but his mouth firmed into a stubborn – beautiful – line. "I can't let you do that. You don't know what it's like when this thing starts playing in my head. What about if you experiencing the engram makes you react in the same way – or worse?"

"John's right, Rodney," Beckett said. "I've read the reports and taken a look at that device. You'll be opening yourself up to whatever the Colonel is experiencing plus all of the side-effects. Now, I've been wondering if the reason for his adverse reaction to the engram implant might be linked to his ATA gene and as you have the gene too… Well, the chances are that your cortex could be damaged in just the same way. Rodney, what you're suggesting is very, very dangerous."

"No way, McKay," John said firmly. "It's too risky. I can't let you do it."

Rodney was just about to lay into John about how he'd do exactly the same thing if the tables were turned – in fact, he had done it to save Rodney from the crystal entity – but then he saw the bruised look in John's eyes. John looked scared, and Rodney knew that it wasn't for himself – John was scared for him. He looked over at Beckett. "Could we, ah, have a minute?"

Beckett eyed them both for a second and then nodded. He walked over to Vertan and Drabart. "Now, if I could just have a word about how this encoding works please?"

Rodney pulled the screen across and moved closer to John.

"You're not doing this. That's an order," John growled.

Rodney raised his eyebrows. "Really? That's what you're going with? Making it an order? Because I'm so good with the whole chain of command thing."

"Rodney," John whined. "I can't let you do it – you could get hurt. You might end up dead – or brain damaged. I can't let you do that."

Rodney put a hand on John's shoulder. "John, I'm doing it." He gave a quick smirk. "You can court martial me later."

"It's not worth it."

Rodney could hear the unspoken 'I'm not worth it', and he crossed his arms over his chest. "I disagree, and I'll happily debate the point with you -" He held up a finger as John tried to interrupt. "When this thing is out of your head and we're back on Atlantis."

"Rodney," John sighed. "Look, I know that… oh, fuck…" It was like a switch being flipped, and his gaze went suddenly blank and he started to shake.

"Carson!" John's whole body began seizing uncontrollably, and Rodney held on to him to stop him convulsing clean off the bed. Shit! This was definitely worse than the last time. "Carson!"

Beckett hurried over and began to scan John again just as he lost consciousness.

Rodney stepped back but kept a hand on John's shoulder. "Carson, I need you to do what you can. Just keep him alive, okay? I'm sending for the device, and I'm going to get this fixed. I have to."

Beckett stared at him. "Aye. I know you do," he said grimly and turned back to work.

Rodney gave John a last look and squeezed his shoulder gently; he was going to fix this. He didn't care how dangerous it might be – John was worth any amount of risk. He took a deep breath and squared his shoulders. It was time to get to work.

~

"Thank you for agreeing to see us, Mayla," Teyla said softly. "This is a difficult time, I know, and we are very grateful for your kindness."

Rodney clasped his hands behind his back to keep from making 'get on with it' gestures. The adapted VR device would be here from Atlantis soon, and he didn't want to waste any time putting it to use. He wanted to talk to Mayla while they were waiting though, so that he could compare her version of events with whatever he saw when he got into John's mind.

"I'm not sure what help I can be," Mayla said. "I have already told the Chamber of Justices what happened."

"If you could just tell us?" Teyla smiled. "I am sorry to ask you to remember something so painful, but we would like to hear for ourselves."

Rodney bit his tongue and let Teyla carry on. He knew that he'd probably only antagonise Mayla – not that he cared about her feelings. She had to be lying about what happened, but he needed to hear her story to help find out exactly how. It was a little strange not to be using his scientific skills and knowledge to solve a problem, but, when it came to John, he would do whatever was necessary.

Mayla inclined her head. "Very well. We had all shared the noon meal, as you know, and I had gone to make a fresh pot of urala. When I came back, I found my husband and Colonel Sheppard arguing."

"What about?" Rodney asked.

Mayla ducked her head coyly. "I believe that it was about me – I, ah, think that in our previous meeting Colonel Sheppard may have mistaken my offer of friendship for something more…" She turned away and dabbed delicately at her eyes with a small square of fabric.

She was lying; he'd known it before but there was the proof. John always liked to joke about 'never seeing it coming', but there was no way that he would've tried something on with Mayla. Rodney knew that what they had together meant just as much to John as it did to him. Rodney trusted him and that meant that Mayla was lying about the argument and, by extension, everything else, too. Unfortunately, he was pretty sure that his belief in John's fidelity wasn't going to be enough for the Chamber of Justices – he needed more.

"My husband was merely defending my honour, but they struggled and then the Colonel grabbed a knife from the table, and he… he…" Mayla broke down and started to sob. The performance was flawless but then she was clearly an accomplished liar.

"I wonder why the Colonel would use a knife from the table when he had his own in his utility belt?" Rodney asked thoughtfully.

Mayla's head jerked up, and, for a second, there was a cold, calculating look in her eyes before she began to cry again. "I – I don't know – who knows what goes through someone's mind at such a time… Please – I cannot continue. It is too upsetting."

Teyla glanced at Rodney, and he shrugged. He doubted they'd be able to get anything more out of her – she was too canny for that.

"Thank you, Mayla," Teyla said quietly, but her gaze was hard. "Can I get you something? Some urala perhaps?"

"No – thank you. I really would like to be alone now." Mayla glanced towards to the door.

"Of course. Thank you for welcoming us into your home."

They left the house, and Rodney stopped as soon as they were out of earshot. "She's lying."

"Yes, she is. John is an honourable man – he would not behave in such a manner." She looked at Rodney and held his gaze. "Particularly now that he has found his happiness."

Rodney felt his cheeks pinking up and damned his pale complexion. They hadn't exactly broadcast their relationship – even with the abolition of Don't Ask, Don't Tell – but they had shared the news with their closest friends. He nodded. "Yes, well… ah."

"We will prove his innocence." Teyla smiled and tucked her arm through Rodney's. "I am certain."

It felt good – comforting - and Rodney patted her hand hesitantly. "Thank you."

Teyla smiled again, and they headed back towards the government building.

~

The mind meld machine – as John insisted on calling it – had arrived. Zelenka had brought it - accompanied by Lorne and his team - and he and Beckett were setting it up in John's room.

Rodney checked his watch. "Hurry up! The next cycle is due any minute."

"Yes, yes," Zelenka muttered, "and you shouting and waving your arms is going to make things go much faster."

Rodney flopped back down onto the bed that had been moved next to John's and purposely folded his arms across his chest. They were running out of time. John was getting weaker each time the implant forced him to live the final moments of Gralen's life, and it had taken him a lot longer to come out of it last time. Beckett was concerned about his blood pressure and the strain the whole thing was putting on his heart, not to mention the possible damage to his brain.

"Hey." John's voice was weak, but he was trying to smile. "Lighten up, McKay. You don't even have your popcorn yet – show won't start 'til then."

Rodney reached across and poked at John's shoulder – gently – and tried to hide his concern. "Idiot." He wasn't worried for himself. Well, he was – he was only human, after all – but, at this point, he didn't care. The only thing that mattered was John. He had to prove John's innocence and get the damn implant removed before it did irreparable damage and ended up killing him.

John grabbed onto Rodney's hand. His face was serious now, as if they were already joined and he could hear what Rodney was thinking. "I wish you wouldn't do this, Rodney. It's too dangerous."

Rodney threaded his fingers through John's. "I know you do, but I'm doing it and that's final. I have to." He held John's gaze and willed him to understand – to see everything that he could never quite manage to put into words.

"I'm not going to talk you out of this, am I?"

Rodney shook his head.

John sighed. "Yeah, thought not." He held onto Rodney's hand a little tighter.

Rodney smiled and returned the pressure.

"Okay. So, now we are done," Zelenka said.

Rodney had almost forgotten that he and Beckett were there. "It's about time."

Zelenka shook his head and muttered something, no doubt uncomplimentary, in Czech, but he patted Rodney's shoulder. He and Beckett checked the wires running from the device to Rodney and John's temples again. "Ready?"

Rodney looked at John.

"Right on time…" John groaned and then began to shake.

"Carson, now!" Rodney felt a warm rush as Beckett injected a sedative into the drip attached to his arm and then he was falling…

 _Jesus Christ! The pain was excruciating – it was beyond anything that he'd ever felt. Fuck! He couldn't stand it; he needed to get out - get away - but he couldn't. He had to do this. He had to – for John. He took a breath, and then another, and tried to focus as the pain rolled through his body. He looked around. He was in Gralen's house; he recognised it from the visit to see Mayla. There was a noise behind him, and he swung around - and John was right in front of him, yelling and making a grab for him. Rodney stumbled backwards, trying to fight him off, and then John was barrelling into him and… Oh, fuck! His chest – it felt like it was on fire. He looked down and there was a knife - just sticking there and blood pouring out. He was dying – he could literally feel the life draining from him – and John was standing in front of him, looking up and smiling with blood all over him, laughing as Rodney felt his eyes close and his heart stop…_

Rodney woke with a start and groaned. It felt like his head was splitting open, and his chest was raw and burning like someone had been going to town on it with a… Fuck! He made a grab for the knife, but his hands landed on the soft fabric of his tee shirt. He stared down in surprise at the uninjured expanse of his chest.

"Easy now." Beckett was at his side. "Just breathe, Rodney – that's it."

"John!" Rodney craned his neck to see around Beckett. John was still lying on the bed, but his eyes were shut, and his breathing sounded laboured.

"It's okay. You're alright, lad. You had a wee seizure, but you'll be fine," Beckett said, peeling the sensors and attachments from Rodney's temples. "The Colonel's come out of it, too, but it was a bad one. I've given him a mild sedative to help his body rest and try to mend." He looked seriously at Rodney. "I hope to God that you found something useful in there; I don't know how much more of this he can take."

"I know, believe me, I was there." He sat up with a groan – he ached all over - and looked across at John. He took a moment to just watch him breathe, replaying the events that he'd just experienced, and slowly something began to tease at the back of his mind. He stopped and went over what happened again – one step at a time - and gradually an idea began to form. Shit! That had to be it. He glanced at Beckett. "Did you get the results from John's blood work?"

"The Colonel was right – someone had slipped him a mickey. There were traces of barbiturate in his system. It had almost completely broken down, but the original dose would have been enough to knock him out cold."

Rodney tapped his finger against his bottom lip and then clapped his hands briskly. "Right! I need to get everybody together, including the grieving widow, and I need to speak to Vertan. What about John? Is he going to be okay?"

"I'll take care of him, don't you worry. He should wake up in a little while. I can't risk sedating him for too long – I have no idea how it would interact when the next cycle hits."

"Well, if I have my way there won't be a next cycle." He needed John to be awake for this though, and hopefully they could get everything cleared up and the damn implant out of his head well before the next cycle was due. He checked his watch. There were a few things he needed to do first though. "Where's Teyla?"

"Just outside." Beckett indicated the screen. "She and Ronon wouldn't leave."

Rodney smiled. He didn't know why he was surprised; they were more like a family than a team, after all these years. He hopped off the bed, indulging in another quick glance at John, and then pulled back the screen.

Teyla and Ronon stepped forward.

"You okay, McKay?" Ronon looked over at John. "How's Sheppard?"

Rodney rubbed at his temple. His head was still aching like a mother, but he waved it off. "Fine, I'm fine - and Sheppard should be soon."

"You have found the information you were looking for, Rodney?" Teyla asked.

"I think so – I just need to clarify a few details. Can you find out what happened to John's uniform? It would be really helpful if we could have that."

"I will see to it." Teyla nodded and hurried away.

"What do you need me to do?" Ronon asked.

Rodney paused and looked back to where John was lying, too pale and quiet, on the bed. "Just look after him for me, okay?"

Ronon gave a shrug. "Always do."

Rodney smiled and then went to find Vertan.

~

"Okay, that looks like everyone." Rodney glanced around John's room. The screen had been pushed back, and John was sitting propped up in the bed, but his eyes were hooded and etched with pain. Beckett was standing by the bed, and along with Teyla and Ronon, Vice-Chancellor Vertan, Mayla and Drabart were also present. A pair of Onari guards were by the door with Lorne and Zelenka standing nearby, and the rest of Lorne's team was outside. Rodney rubbed his hands together. "Time's short, so I'll get straight to the point. Colonel Sheppard did not kill Chancellor Gralen."

"Doctor McKay, we have been over this – the engrams…" Vertan said.

"The engrams are wrong."

"But that is impossible. I viewed them myself at the Colonel's hearing."

"Impossible? Really?" Rodney smiled smugly. "Let's see, shall we?" He turned to John. "Colonel, can you describe what the engram implant shows you in the final moments of Gralen's life?"

John blew out a breath. "There's a knife in my – his – chest and -"

Mayla began to sob.

"Is this really necessary?" Drabart interrupted angrily and put his arm around Mayla.

"Yes," Rodney said shortly. "Colonel?" He waved at John to continue.

John's voice was rough. "I – Gralen – looks down into my face… into the face of the killer. There's blood everywhere."

"Is the killer sitting or kneeling?"

John paused for a second, and Rodney could see a flash of recognition as he obviously began to put it together. "No. The killer – me in the flashback – is standing in front of Gralen, but Gralen is looking down at me."

Rodney turned to Vertan. "When I spoke to you earlier, I asked if you had any kind of photograph – pictorial representation - of the Chancellor and you gave me this, correct?" Rodney held up a frame containing a formally posed group shot showing Vertan standing with a woman – presumably his wife –and Gralen, Mayla and several other dignitaries.

Vertan nodded. "Yes, this was taken at last year's Blarn celebration."

"Chancellor Gralen wasn't a particularly tall man, was he? Not much taller than anyone in this picture, anyway."

"Tall? No, he was about five yartans, I believe."

"So… about Doctor Beckett's height?"

Vertan looked carefully at Beckett and then nodded. "Yes. They are of a height."

Rodney signalled to Beckett, and he moved to the side of John's bed and helped him up. John looked shaky, but he managed to stand on his own. Rodney watched as Vertan looked at John and Beckett standing side by side, and he saw his face cloud with confusion. John was a good five inches taller than Beckett.

"But," Vertan said slowly. "How can this be?"

"Exactly." Rodney nodded. "How could Gralen be looking down at his killer if his killer was taller than he was? If Colonel Sheppard had been the killer then Gralen should have been looking up at him – not down."

"What does any of this matter?" Mayla said, crying noisily into her handkerchief. "We welcomed the Colonel into our home and now my husband's blood is on his hands."

Rodney had to stifle a laugh. Christ! Talk about poetic justice. "But it wasn't, was it?" Vertan looked at him sharply, and Rodney could see more uncertainty in his face. "Teyla, do you have the Colonel's uniform? The one that he was wearing at the time of the alleged attack?"

Teyla nodded and stepped forward, holding up John's uniform shirt.

"Vice-Chancellor – can you see any blood?"

Vertan moved closer and examined John's shirt carefully. Even though it was black, it was obvious that there were no stains – blood or otherwise. He turned back to Rodney. "No – there are none, and yet, I saw in the engram the blood on the Colonel's hands and clothes. How can this be? The engram clearly showed the Colonel stabbing Gralen." His face was wreathed in confusion and then it cleared. "There is only one way that this could have happened." He turned to Drabart. "You falsified the engram and put Colonel Sheppard's image in place of the real murderer!" He shook his head in disbelief. "Why would you do such a thing?"

Drabart's eyes darted nervously towards the door, and he licked at his lips. "I don't know what you're talking about. I… I…" Suddenly, his face fell and he sagged in defeat. "He was an off-worlder – she said it was the perfect opportunity. Everyone knows how violent off-worlders can be!"

"Shut up," Mayla shouted and slapped Drabart across the face.

The hard smack of skin against skin seemed to echo through the stillness of the room, and Drabart stared at Mayla in shock for a moment and then he turned to Vertan. "I did it for her – I loved her." He held out his hands helplessly. "She hated Gralen and wanted to be free. She stabbed him and got me to doctor the engram." He dropped his head, and his words were almost a whisper. "She said that we could be together…"

"No," Mayla screamed and launched herself at Drabart. "Shut up! Shut up, you fool! He's lying - he killed Gralen and then fixed the engram!"

"Enough," Vertan shouted and called the guards over. "Take them both away."

The guards quickly manhandled them from the room with Mayla still protesting her innocence and Drabart looking as if he was going to be sick.

Vertan turned to Rodney and John. "I will convene the Chamber of Justices and ask for the implant to be removed immediately. I can only offer my most sincere apology for this terrible miscarriage of justice and hope that it will not prevent any future alliance between our peoples."

"Hey, these things happen," John said wearily. Rodney moved closer and helped him as he sagged back down onto the bed.

Personally Rodney wanted to tell Vertan where he could stick his alliance, but he just gave a tight nod and turned back to John. Intense relief and the thought of what could have happened suddenly crashed through him, and he swallowed hard. Now was not the time for a meltdown. They still had to get the implant removed and get John safely back home.

John gave him a tired smile. "Not too shabby, Rodney. So, you thinking of a new career in forensics?"

"Hardly," Rodney snorted and then fussed uselessly at John's pillows to stop himself from blurting out everything he was feeling in one big, messy ball of emotion.

John caught his hand, and Rodney forced himself to look him in the eye.

"Thanks, buddy," John said softly. "I owe you."

Rodney watched as John's eyes flickered shut for a second, the lashes almost brushing the soft, bruised skin of his cheeks, and he swallowed past the dryness in his throat. "Yes, well - it was my turn."

~

Rodney checked the report one last time and then sent it to Woolsey and closed the lid of the laptop with a snap.

They were back on Atlantis, at last. The Onari had removed the engram implant from John's brain, and, thankfully, Beckett's scans had shown no permanent damage. John was still pretty weak, but Beckett had released him from the infirmary with the proviso that he rest.

Rodney turned towards the bed. It was still only early evening, but John was lying on top of the covers, and he'd been dozing for most of the afternoon. Rodney walked over and sat down carefully on the edge of the bed. He watched the gentle rise and fall of John's chest and smiled as John gave a soft, little growling snore.

Christ! They'd come so close to losing this. A snuffle broke into Rodney's thoughts before they could become maudlin, and John opened his eyes. He smiled, still dopey from sleep, as he saw Rodney. "Hey…"

"Hey."

"Whatcha doin'?"

Rodney glanced over at the laptop. "Just finishing up some paperwork."

"All done?"

"When is anything ever 'all done' around here?" Rodney sniffed.

"Done for now?" John asked with a sly grin.

"Why?" Rodney asked suspiciously.

"Nothin'." John shrugged. He rolled over and tugged at Rodney's arm. "Just thought you might want to lie down with me for a while." He looked up hopefully through his lashes.

Rodney groaned, completely helpless, and lay down. "You're shameless. You know that, right?"

"Yep," John said happily and pulled Rodney over to him. "I know." He lay his head on Rodney's shoulder and slid an arm around his waist. "This is good," he sighed and snuggled closer.

Rodney smiled and wrapped his arms around John's shoulders. "Yeah, it is."

"Thanks - again."

Rodney was stroking the soft hairs at the nape of John's neck and nearly missed the mumbled words. "What? What for?"

John lifted his head and gave a quick smile. "You know, for risking your life – and that big, old brain – for me on Onari."

Rodney didn't know what to say. For someone who talked as much as he did, he never seemed to be able to put his feelings into words, but he wanted to try at least. "I had to… I…" he sighed. He was so bad at this. "I'd just rather have you around than… not." He shrugged. "Anyway, you always say 'never leave a man behind' and, well, in this case, you're…"

"I'm your man?" John asked softly, and Rodney could hear the fondness.

Rodney nodded hesitantly. "Yes?" John raised an eyebrow, and Rodney nodded again, more definite this time. "Yes."

John smiled and dropped a gentle kiss to Rodney's mouth. "Good."

 

The end

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: This story is a work of fiction & is meant solely for entertainment purposes. No copyright infringement is intended.


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